38,886 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.0% since 2020)
865 square miles of land · 45 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
7 active community water systems list Jim Wells County in the area they serve, reporting 25,117 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF ALICE surface water · local government · TX1250001 | 19,104 served |
| CITY OF PREMONT groundwater · local government · TX1250003 | 2,441 served |
| JIM WELLS COUNTY FWSD 1 groundwater · local government · TX1250030 | 1,950 served |
| CITY OF ORANGE GROVE groundwater · local government · TX1250002 | 1,170 served |
| LOMA LINDA WATER SUPPLY groundwater · private · TX1250039 | 216 served |
| PAISANO MOBILE HOME PARK groundwater · private · TX1250017 | 146 served |
| ENGLISH ACRES groundwater · private · TX1250033 | 90 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 50 people were held in Jim Wells County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 55.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
5 school districts have their office in Jim Wells County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $69.6 million — $58.5 million to run schools, about $12,993 per student, plus $7.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $17.2 million local (mostly property tax), $31.7 million state, $22.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $33.6 million.
Spent $21.4 million — $20.3 million to run schools, about $11,593 per student, plus $557,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $6 million local (mostly property tax), $12 million state, $4.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $10.4 million.
Spent $13.1 million — $11.7 million to run schools, about $15,445 per student, plus $579,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.7 million local (mostly property tax), $9.5 million state, $3.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $15.2 million.
Spent $6.9 million — $6.5 million to run schools, about $13,190 per student, plus $185,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.4 million local (mostly property tax), $6.1 million state, $1.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.5 million.
Spent $1.7 million — $1.6 million to run schools, about $15,618 per student, plus $18,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $465,000 local (mostly property tax), $904,000 state, $357,000 federal.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Jim Wells County about $38.2 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
192 bridges in Jim Wells County: 112 in good condition, 77 fair, and 3 poor (1.6%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| CR 308 over AGUA DULCE CREEK · built 1940 | 55 vehicles a day |
| CR 440 over TRANQUITAS CREEK · built 1940 | 55 vehicles a day |
| CR 440 over SAN ANDREAS CREEK · built 1940 | 55 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $22.3 million of work in Jim Wells County in fiscal 2025, about $573 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Jim Wells County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Jim Wells County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Duval County (25 mi) · Kleberg County (33 mi) · Nueces County (35 mi) · San Patricio County (40 mi) · Live Oak County (43 mi) · Brooks County (49 mi).